The Abbott government will extend homelessness funding for another two years, providing $230 million for the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, with priority given to domestic violence services and young homeless people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The news will come as a relief to the community workers who have been begging the federal government to announce its funding plans and provide stability to the sector. Current funding is due to run out on June 30.
Before the Coalition's announcement, more than 30 chief executives of community organisations had arranged a crisis meeting in Melbourne on Monday. They have been concerned that with contracts and leases up for renewal, they would have to make staff redundant and turn clients away.
The Council to Homeless Persons said services were reporting that staff were leaving their jobs because of the funding doubts.
Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said the government would extend the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness with the states until 2017, maintaining the same level of federal funding as for 2014-2015.
"I wanted there to be some certainty about this," he told Fairfax Media, adding that the $230 million would be offset through the budget process.
Mr Morrison said domestic violence was the leading cause of homelessness and that women and children were "particularly vulnerable".
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show about 33 per cent of adults and children who sought help from specialist homelessness services in 2013-14 were experiencing domestic violence.
Mr Morrison said states and territories now needed to match the federal funding dollar for dollar and that long-term funding would be considered as part of the upcoming white paper on federation.
This would include a "better understanding" of federal and state responsibilities in the area.
He said the homelessness agreement – begun under Labor in 2009 with federal and state funds – had been "pretty woolly" in the past.
"A lot of money was shovelled out to the states without much accountability."
The National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness provides for about 180 services that include youth, rough sleeping and family violence programs, helping 80,000 people a year and employing more than 3000.
It was initially funded until 2013 but since then has been renewed on an annual basis.
In February, more than 50 CEOs from the community sector signed an open letter to Mr Morrison, calling on him for long-term funding.
"You do your budget planning on a four-yearly cycle; please let us do the same."
When asked why he had not made the funding announcement earlier, Mr Morrison explained that he had a lot of issues to deal with since taking over the Social Services portfolio late last year.
He added that making a decision about homelessness funding "isn't just a simple matter of going to the ATM".
